SHANGHAI - Shanghai will launch an international channel on January 1 next year, as part of an effort to become an international and cultural metropolis.

The International Channel Shanghai (ICS) is expected to serve as a window to showcase the economic and cultural development of Shanghai and also provide audience with entertainment and information, said Li Ruigang, president of Shanghai Media Group (SMG).

The ICS programs, covering news, information, fashion, entertainment, foreign TV shows and movies, will be aired in English and Japanese, with Chinese captions, for 19 hours a day.

About 4.4 million Internet subscribers in the city can also watch the programs on their computers through IPTV (Internet Protocol Television).

The new channel will also focus on the 2010 World Expo by launching a weekly program, "EXPO Connection", in an effort to keep locals and foreigners informed of the preparatory progress.

Shanghai TV is the first in China to provide English programs. "News At Ten" and "Shanghai Noon", which started broadcasting in 1986, were the first English language news programs in the country.